Opinion by Adams Musah
The takeover of the Azumah Resources mining concession by Engineers and Planners (E&P) Company Ltd marks a new dawn of opportunities and development within the Upper West Region, especially in and around the communities where mining operations will be taking place. Residents of the Nadowli/Kaleo and the Wa East districts in the region have thrown their weight and support to the multi-million dollar mining company: E&P Ltd. They believe a new phase of development has come to their doorstep, giving them hope and a reason to dream big again.
Poverty is believed to be endemic in the two districts where the mine concession is located. Despite the discovery of a large deposit of gold many years ago, youth unemployment in the area is still on the high due to numerous factors, including lack of irrigation facilities to support all-year-round farming and non-existing industries that could create meaningful jobs. Thus, it is sad to note that poverty continues to spread even in the midst of abundant resources like gold.
The unreliable job opportunities in the area have led many people from these districts to migrate to the southern part of Ghan in search of greener pastures. These internal migrants, especially the youth, from the Nadowli-Kaleo and Wa East are mostly found in Obuasi and its environs, engaging in mining activities to secure their livelihood. This, though not pleasant, has equipped them with experience in the mining sector.
With this hindsight, the chiefs and people of the Upper West Region have, over the years, called on successive governments to prioritize gold prospects in the region as a means of creating jobs for the benefit of the people. In this regard, several appeals have been made to the government to dermarcate and allocate areas for community mining schemes as well as grant large-scale mining firms licence to develop and exploit the gold reserves in the area.
The government, heeding to the numerous appeals, granted Azumah Resources a license to prospect the area for gold in order that a large scale mine could be developed, which would create jobs – both direct and indirect, for the youth and bring development to the people. But for decades, Azumah Resources continued to engage in prospecting instead of going into mining, despite the clear manifestation of abundant gold deposit in the area.
Following the lacklustre progress by Azumah Resources to commence mining, the government subsequently allocated two concessions in the Wa East district for community mining as a means to reduce unemployment and boost the local economy. However, this small-scale mining concessions for the communities could not be effective as there continued to be disputes with Azumah coupled with difficulties in getting people to mine responsibly with regards to environmental sustainability. The youth who had no license but wanted to mine were always at site while looking over the shoulders.
These led to heightened calls for the government to impress upon Azumah Resources to adequately prepare and commence full-scale operations within the concession known as the Black Volta Gold Project, or that the concession be given to a different firm that has the capacity to develop it to create tangible jobs.
It is therefore not surprising to see joy and happiness on people’s faces when it was announced in 2025 that government has approved the takeover of the Black Volta Gold Project by Engineers and Planners Company Ltd. After a long standoff between some communities and Azumah Resources that kept promising the people of their readiness to start operation for the past twenty years, the people now feel real gold mining is becoming a reality in the area. Many believe their lives will be changed for good and poverty reduced.
There is no contention that the development initiatives associated with the project to be undertaken by E&P are enormous and promising.
Engineers & Planners is an indigenous Ghanaian mining firm with vast knowledge and experience in the mining sector of Africa. It has a state-of-the-art mining equipment with a track record in exploration and refinery, particularly in hard rock mining. With their expertise and track record in mining, E&P is undoubtedly the company to give meaning to the Black Volta Gold Project for the benefit of the people.
Like many mining advocates, I consider this development as one with immense hope and aspirations for the mining sector in the Upper West Region. The people of the region have longed for a mining sector that will provide them with decent employment opportunities, and the plans intended by E&P are quite convincing to offer that.
Although Engineers and Planners are yet to begin full-scale operations, the people of the region are full of optimism that decent direct and indirect jobs will be created, which will go a long way to reducing poverty and improving the totality of development in the region. To meet the aspirations of the people, the managers of the Black Volta Gold Project must prioritize local people, particularly in the operational zones, in the recruitment of mine workers. This will ensure proper integration and bring real development to the host communities.
It is worth noting that the benefits of the Black Volta Gold Project will transcend beyond the Nadowli-Kaleo and the Wa East districts to the entirety of the Upper West Region. The demand for groceries, decent accommodation, transport services, and general merchandise will increase in the region. This means that the business community must be in readiness to respond to and embrace the new economic opportunities in the offing.
However, security in area will be tested given the likely influx of people from all walks of life to the region. It is therefore important for authorities to prepare for the impending pressure this could bring so as to maintain peace and safety for all. Nothing should be left to chance.
As we welcome E&P to the region with renewed hope for jobs and development, we must not lose sight of the need for responsible and sustainable mining. Continuous monitoring need to be done to ensure the development of a sustainable mining sector in the Upper West Region, which is a recipe for good livelihoods and sustainable development. It is equally important to demand E&P to deliver on their corporate social responsibility as usually required by the laws guiding mining operations.
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The writer is a journalist with Radio Mak, Wa
Edited by Hafiz Timbile Adams
